AUSTIN | Transportation Updates

[wwmiv]

Originally Posted by JollyvilleJ-Rad

Have several thoughts about the Parmer corridor as I've lived in Rattan Creek for 27 years. Without time to delve into many, my primary concern would be the addition of overpasses and the resulting noise. I doubt any neighborhood along central Mopac likes the traffic-noise and would have preferred underpasses if redone. I feel very sorry for those who live in the blocks right off Parmer if they build up, and the noise would e/affect the entire neighborhood. Perhaps the price of progress, but I hope they go the extra mile to preserve quality of life everywhere in Austin and the immediate ETJ in the face of unprecedented growth. Better yet, trains.

Trains aren’t going to solve the Parmer corridor issues because of the relative dispersal of residents and commuters to these jobs.

Also, west of 35 in my mind I agree: all the current intersections would be routed over the main lanes. Between MoPac and 35 taking the main lanes down 8-12 feet from grade and utilizing retaining walls with sound barriers at the tops would keep noise to a minimum. You’d cut back on noise at intersections with stop and go traffic as well. This also isn’t a corridor that would get much industrial traffic, except in the eastern-most sections. Milwood and much of the area west of MoPac already have sound barriers and adding sound barriers in select places between MoPac and 35 would be necessary.

Besides, a “do nothing” approach will result in more wrecks, more casualties, worse traffic and worse noise as well than systematic upgrades to the corridor.

East of 35 because of the wider ROW the mainlanes could be made tolled with existing (or expanded) capacity with operational improvements of access roads relative to the existing Parmer Lane.

[wwmiv]

I actually did not know there were still ongoing plans for 360.

https://www.loop360project.com/

And the same for US79:

https://youtu.be/z1ZKj4mErSU

Parmer needs to be included in this discussion.

And 183 south of the airport feeding into 130/45.

[drummer]

That intersection at 79 and I-35 on the youtube clip looks crazy.

[Echostatic]

Looks like a slightly modified Continuous-Flow Intersection like the soon to be replaced one at Ben White/William Cannon

[chinchaaa]

Originally Posted by Echostatic

Looks like a slightly modified Continuous-Flow Intersection like the soon to be replaced one at Ben White/William Cannon

wait where do Ben White and William Cannon intersect? where's info on this?

[drummer]

Originally Posted by chinchaaa

wait where do Ben White and William Cannon intersect? where's info on this?

Close to the Y in Oak Hill. Likely to be redone with the new expressway intersection at the Y.

[drummer]

Originally Posted by Echostatic

Looks like a slightly modified Continuous-Flow Intersection like the soon to be replaced one at Ben White/William Cannon

Yeah, that's what I was thinking - continuous-flow-like.

[We vs us]

Originally Posted by JollyvilleJ-Rad

Have several thoughts about the Parmer corridor as I've lived in Rattan Creek for 27 years. Without time to delve into many, my primary concern would be the addition of overpasses and the resulting noise. I doubt any neighborhood along central Mopac likes the traffic-noise and would have preferred underpasses if redone. I feel very sorry for those who live in the blocks right off Parmer if they build up, and the noise would e/affect the entire neighborhood. Perhaps the price of progress, but I hope they go the extra mile to preserve quality of life everywhere in Austin and the immediate ETJ in the face of unprecedented growth. Better yet, trains.

Hey neighbor! We live in Rattan Creek, too -- our backyard faces the greenbelt. We love it!

You're right in one sense -- literally any building-up of Parmer is going to be awful for those folks behind the sound wall. But it's going to be awful no matter what happens. For people in RC/Millwood, the old lifestyle is gone, and it's now only a question of how quickly that's revealed.

[ahealy]

Speaking of the Parmer hood, what would be a realistic projection for urbanizing Parmer between 35 and out west toward Apple? Nothing major right now obviously, but perhaps more mixed-use retail/residential/great street DNA? Is it mostly zoned for that in the direct area?

I dream of someday experiencing a tighter, more walkable boulevard of options where we are on Parmer

[drummer]

Parmer is definitely going to be difficult to change. Not a ton of space for entrances/exits if overpasses/underpasses are utilized at large intersections. Even the intersection at 45 truly needs some sort of grade-separated solution....1431 comes to mind as well, but that intersection actually runs fairly smoothly for now (thinking of future growth with the crazy building). So then comes the argument against sprawl, of course.

However, I've often wondered what Parmer from 45 to 130 could look like and what the best options are, even with better mass-transit options implemented where possible.

[StoOgE]

Originally Posted by Echostatic

Looks like a slightly modified Continuous-Flow Intersection like the soon to be replaced one at Ben White/William Cannon

I've never heard anyone call that part of 290 Ben White - colloquially the "old" Ben white ended around the Mopac/290 intersection. Actually, a little before that - but once it turns pretty South its definitely no longer on the old general path of Ben White.

[freerover]

Originally Posted by StoOgE

I've never heard anyone call that part of 290 Ben White - colloquially the "old" Ben white ended around the Mopac/290 intersection. Actually, a little before that - but once it turns pretty South its definitely no longer on the old general path of Ben White.

Good catch. Ben White ends at S. Lamar. I don't think people realize how 71 and 183 run along different Austin roads. I think 183 is Ed Bluestien in the east, then E. Anderson in the north and then W. Anderson and then Research Blvd west of Lamar.

It's just better to avoid using street names when you are really talking about big ass highways.

[freerover]

Originally Posted by wwmiv

I actually did not know there were still ongoing plans for 360.

https://www.loop360project.com/

And the same for US79:

https://youtu.be/z1ZKj4mErSU

Parmer needs to be included in this discussion.

And 183 south of the airport feeding into 130/45.

There was a TxDot meeting about 183 south of 71 and adding overpasses at a few areas but I havn't seen an update in over a year.

[chinchaaa]

Originally Posted by StoOgE

I've never heard anyone call that part of 290 Ben White - colloquially the "old" Ben white ended around the Mopac/290 intersection. Actually, a little before that - but once it turns pretty South its definitely no longer on the old general path of Ben White.

same.

[Echostatic]

I think the old Ben White was torn up a decade before I was born. I just refer to Ben White as the US290/TX71 highway from The Y to US 183. People usually figure it out

[wwmiv]

Originally Posted by drummer

Parmer is definitely going to be difficult to change. Not a ton of space for entrances/exits if overpasses/underpasses are utilized at large intersections. Even the intersection at 45 truly needs some sort of grade-separated solution....1431 comes to mind as well, but that intersection actually runs fairly smoothly for now (thinking of future growth with the crazy building). So then comes the argument against sprawl, of course.

However, I've often wondered what Parmer from 45 to 130 could look like and what the best options are, even with better mass-transit options implemented where possible.

The ROW constraints really aren’t as severe as you’d think at first blush:

3 mainlanes of traffic with standard shoulders and the minimum median width according to TXDOT would be 116 feet. If you add merging lanes where necessary, that puts it up to 140 feet in select some places.

Parmer Lane between Lamar and MoPac (the narrowest portion with the most constraints) ranges from 140 to 180, leaving plenty of room for retaining structures alongside the roadway.

As to entrances and exits, the only place space is a question is in this section of the corridor and any upgrade would likely focus on just a few select streets: Lamar and Metric. Maybe Lamplight Village. Maybe Scofield Farms. But even those are simply small neighborhood circulators which can be accessed indirectly via Metric or easily from roads via 35 or MoPac. There’s plenty of space at Lamar for a grade separated overpass and at Metric entrances and exits can be done via Tar Branch if you really wanna leave the corner business alone and not exercise eminent domain but even then eminent domain for two of the corners would be best: the McDonalds and the front half of the Walgreens lot (leaving the building and most of their parking undisturbed) would be sufficient according to TXDOt design manuals.

The ONLY two big concerns I’d have are the fire station accessibility by Fry’s and the ingress/egress of Parmer Lane Elementary. Every other parking lot and curb cut can be gotten rid of and all intersections grade separated or severed altogether without fundamentally altering vehicular traffic patterns in the immediate area (but while massively improving regional traffic flow).

[wwmiv]

Ohhhhh apparently Williamson County is already looking at limited access solutions:

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/aust...-improvements/

At least someone is talking about it.

[StoOgE]

Originally Posted by freerover

Good catch. Ben White ends at S. Lamar. I don't think people realize how 71 and 183 run along different Austin roads. I think 183 is Ed Bluestien in the east, then E. Anderson in the north and then W. Anderson and then Research Blvd west of Lamar.

It's just better to avoid using street names when you are really talking about big ass highways.

2222 is a real doozy - it changes to "old" street names like 5 times in 2 miles from Mopac to I35.

It goes from 2222 to Northland to Allandale to Koenig to 290. Even more confusingly there is an "old Koenig" that runs parallel to Koenig for part of the length.

[StoOgE]

Originally Posted by Echostatic

I think the old Ben White was torn up a decade before I was born. I just refer to Ben White as the US290/TX71 highway from The Y to US 183. People usually figure it out

It's funny, most people who weren't around for the "old" Ben White tend to just call it 290 or 71. The only people who still call it Ben White are us olds who were here when it was still a not-highway. My wife routinely stares at me when I tell her to turn left at Ben White. Then again, when she calls it 290 I assume she means Keonig East of 35 headed towards Giddings.

My grandma still called I-35 East Avenue until her death a few years ago, so I guess its a family tradition at this point

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by StoOgE

2222 is a real doozy - it changes to "old" street names like 5 times in 2 miles from Mopac to I35.

It goes from 2222 to Northland to Allandale to Koenig to 290. Even more confusingly there is an "old Koenig" that runs parallel to Koenig for part of the length.

Yeah, 2222 is I think the local winner for names.

Bullick Hollow becomes 2222, then eventually Northland/Allandale/Koenig.

And I'm not sure they ever put up signs for it, but the section just west of I35 is technically Spur 69
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texas_...ighway_Spur_69

Then 290/Toll 290/Manor Expressway.